I'll put muscle in the people of Judah; I know their pain and will make them good as new. They'll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened. And why? Because I am their very own God, I'll do what needs to be done for them. ~Zechariah 10:6
Here are some before and after pictures from Judah’s MRI. In the back is the original MRI at 3 months old. On the front screen is the MRI from Wednesday. The white area that you see is fluid that filled in where the brain tissue died away. You’ll notice that in the original MRI there is a little bit of brain tissue in the frontal lobe, but the rest was gone. In the front picture you can see considerably less fluid and lots more brain tissue!!!! Our doctor said Judah has grown almost 50% of his brain back!
Praise THE LORD!!!!!!!!!
And further good news is Judah’s vision has improved and his prescription was reduced! Oh Look What The Lord Has Done!!!!!!
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. Matthew 9:35
On a day that should mark the celebration of many fathers, many are internalizing this day with pain, confusion, regret, and abandonment. Many sons and daughters are the casualty of a broken home where the dad physically, emotionally, or spiritually checked out. Many look back at their childhood and can only remember the pain. Many fathers are struggling today because they aren’t the father that they hoped to be. They have tried time and time again to become a better man but they are inevitably left with disappointment because they fail in their role. The hardest part is that these men were never taught how to be a father. The greatest gift that was bestowed upon these men was turned over to television, to peers, to the mothers, to any vacuum that would suck the attention of this broken son or daughter.
But You, Daddy, You stepped in. You said no more. You destroyed the veil. The separation that was upon us was torn into two. You delivered to us a Savior. One that gave us unrestricted access to You and Your Fatherhood. You told us that you would never leave us, never forsake us. You promised us. And unlike any man, You have remained true. You saw that we needed a Comforter, a Guide, a lasting Gift and you gave us the Holy Spirit. Thank you Daddy for this day. I celebrate who You are, the life that You have given and the promise of what is to come.
I speak to all of the daughters out there who didn’t have a true Dad. It was not your fault. Your broken pieces can be easily be mended by one touch. Peace, restoration and a sense of belonging are yours today. You have a new Daddy, and every empty memory of your past will be replaced by the joy of another day with your true Daddy.
Men- I speak to you. You have what it takes. You may have failed. You may have turned out distant like your father, but it isn’t too late. Study your Daddy and learn His love. Learn His acceptance, His pleasure, His delight. Your value is not measured in what you do, what you have done, what occupation you have, or how much money you have made. He takes pleasure in you today because you are His. He heals all past wounds now, binds every lie that the enemy has spoken and frees you today from regret. Understand that you will fail and fail again if you continue to work this out on your own. There is a grace that is available so that you can quit striving, working, and fixing only to end up empty-handed. Today this grace is yours.
Young men – your identity is now in Christ. You are important, you are cherished, and you are a mighty man in the making. Today marks the day when your Daddy enters your life healing the scars from your emotional, physical and spiritual pains.
Daddies who are running the race, who are rewarding their children with the true love of our Daddy – thank you, thank you, thank you. You have given much. You have decided that your legacy is more important than your lusts. You have decided to step over from being a male to being a man. You have shown your children that your wife is to be cherished, respected and pursued. You have shown your wife that she can see a daddy who is present and who is laying himself down daily for the glory of lasting treasures. Do not let up, do not slow down, there is a lasting crown that is waiting for you.
The difference between a good dad and a great dad is measured by the degree to which he points his family to Christ. Daddy, I want to be a great dad.
200!!! 200!!! Can you believe it?! Today at 6:30 am I climbed into the chamber for our 200th dive! Amazing!! In less than 6 months we’ve spent approximately 400 hours in the chamber.
Some doctors and therapists have told us not to expect too many results before completing 200 dives; but to expect our best improvements post 200 dives. We are already so thrilled with the improvements we have seen in Judah; and we fully expect to see continued progress in our little man. God is at work!
The most notable changes we see in Judah are:
* He can see! The changes we have seen in Judah’s eye sight have been amazing!! He recognizes us, scans the room, and looks at his toys. It’s thrilling to our hearts! On top of that, MY eyes have improved! My contact lens prescription has reduced and the astigmatism in my eyes is GONE! Praise the Lord!
Reaching for a book in vision therapy
* He transitions to change easier.
Judah loved the beach! He even enjoyed touching the sand with his fingers.
* His overall disposition is happier.
This little boy LOVES his Daddy!
* He desires to move! It is a joy to see Judah strive to move across the floor ~ to roll to his tummy and dig his toes in the carpet in effort to move forward.
Learning so much with Mrs. Josie.
* He’s rolling SO WELL in every direction.
Look how far he went! 🙂
* He’s interested in toys! In the past Judah only liked toys that made an interesting noise because he was so dependent on his hearing and not his vision. These days Judah will grab anything he can find (a piece of cloth, a teddy bear, a plastic bowl, a blanket, or a toy) and hold it up in front of his eyes to look at it.
Playing with foil in vision therapy. 🙂
* Not only will Judah look at the toy, he’ll then put it in his mouth. This is a great step to eventually learn to chew and eat textures. I’m so happy to see him explore textures (and fingers) with his mouth.
looking at his teddy bear
*Judah babbles! We love his little voice. Sometimes it’s as if he’s carrying on a little conversation with us. SO FUN! He can say hi, dada, mama, doodah (repeats when we tell him to say Judah), stinky, yucky, ya or yes, and shake his head no. And many times a day he is imitating our sounds. When we sing to him he’ll often try to sing along. I love it! 🙂
Throughout the day, it’s common to hear Judah calling for Daddy. 🙂
Today I told Judah to say, “Ha, ha, ha! ” He repeated perfectly! Next I said, “Say Ho, ho, ho!” And he repeated perfectly! He’s learning EVERY day! And he’s interacting with others more and more.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to all of you who made the dream of purchasing this hyperbaric oxygen chamber a reality. You are all a part of these victories!!
Here’s a little clip of our celebration in the chamber this morning. 🙂 “Weeeeee!!!”
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Cor. 15:57
We had a fun, successful weekend of six ABM sessions in Gainesville. Judah responded well and was an absolute delight. It’s hard to remember that when we first started our trips to Gainesville he often cried and needed lots of comfort. Now he shows excitement to see Mrs. Josie and enjoys his appointments. It thrills my heart!
Last night when we returned home from Gainesville Judah was playing with his toys on the floor. He’d roll to his tummy and kick his legs to try to move. (Looked like a fish out of water- so cute!) He was acting frustrated that he wasn’t getting anywhere so I knelt down next to him and showed him how to move forward as he learned during his ABM sessions. As soon as I helped him move forward he was happy. This is the first time Judah’s shown enjoyment and desire to move like that. In the past we’ve forced him to move and crawl, but now it’s HIS desire and motivation.
For in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Judah's Journey 